Explainer Series

Why is India important to Australia?

February 2024

The Honourable Lisa Singh is CEO of the Australia India Institute at the University of Melbourne and a former Australian Senator—the first woman of South Asian heritage elected to the Australian Parliament. She previously served as a Tasmanian MP and Minister.

Lisa has long championed Australia–India relations, serving as Deputy Chair of the Australia-India Council and currently on the advisory board of Asialink and the Board of Beyond Blue. In 2014, she was awarded the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman by the President of India, and in 2024 received the University of Tasmania’s International Alumni Award.

A delegate to the UN General Assembly in 2016, Lisa co-chairs the Australia India Leadership Dialogue and actively contributes to regional diplomacy. She holds a BA (Hons) in Social Geography from the University of Tasmania and a Master of International Relations from Macquarie University.